Clarity
by a.k.a.-ashley
Summary: Lucas Scott didn't know about life until the new girl in town turned his upside down
1. The New Girl

Clarity

A/N: Just another W.I.P. that I'm working on. Don't Let Go is still my top priority but The Beautiful Dance is getting pushed a little further back on the update list.

Chapter 1

Lucas Scott was every parent's dream child. He got good grades, always made curfew, listened to his mom and never got into trouble. Lucas was the good kid, the dependable kid, the responsible kid. But he thought sometimes he wanted to be more than that. He wanted more to his life than studying, homework and worrying about college application essays that were more than a year away.

Most people didn't know that the good boy Lucas was actually a really lonely guy. Being a responsible young man may have earned him the respect of adults and his teachers, but it left him singled out by his peers. Getting on the Dean's List every semester wasn't exactly the ticket to friends and popularity.

But he managed to find friendship in another social outcast by the name of Haley James. They had been friends for years and she was the only person he ever confided in. But little did he know that someone was going to come into his life and change everything.

The large moving truck parked in front of the house next door caught Lucas' attention as he left early one morning for school. The woman who had lived in the house for years had decided to move back to Chicago to be closer to her family, her house was sold only days after it had been put on the market. But Lucas didn't know much about the new neighbors.

All it took was a curious glance towards the house as he passed by on his way to meet Haley. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her Lucas knew he was a goner for sure. The most gorgeous head of tight blonde curls he had ever seen was walking up the porch steps carrying an overflowing moving box. Lucas didn't notice that he had stopped walking until the blonde girl dropped something from her box and while leaning over to pick it up she locked eyes with him. She gave him a mysterious smile before he quickly looked away and continued the way he was going.

Much to Haley's chagrin, Lucas couldn't stop talking about the girl he had seen that morning. She had been the topic of conversation on the morning walk to school, at lunch and on the walk home from school. Haley was convinced that Lucas hadn't even noticed the fact that she had gone home.

The blonde girl was still on his mind as he slowly climbed his porch steps, trying in vain to catch a glimpse of her again. He walked inside and dropped his backpack near the front door. As he walked past the living room he was surprised to see his mom sitting with an older man and his mystery blonde girl from earlier.

"Lucas you're home. Come in here for a minute and meet our new neighbors." Karen patted the empty seat next to her on the sofa. He walked cautiously into the room and sat down near his mom. "Lucas this is Larry Sawyer and his daughter Peyton. Peyton is your age and she'll be going to Tree Hill High School with you. Larry suggested that you might want to show Peyton around town."

"I have some homework and a test that I need to study for." Lucas found himself unusually nervous around his new neighbor. He really didn't know what he was saying as the words clumsily spilled out of his mouth.

"All you ever do is study Lucas. You're more than ready for whatever test you have to take. Why don't you go out and have some fun, show Peyton around." Karen urged.

"We don't want to interrupt Lucas' studies." Larry remarked. Lucas looked over at Peyton and could have sworn he saw a flash of disappointment on her face.

"No that's alright. I can study later." Lucas, now with a burst of confidence, agreed to show Peyton around.

The car ride around town had been fairly quiet. He'd shown her the school, the mall and the movie theater and was running out of sights in the small town. Out of the corner of his eye he would occasionally catch her staring at him.

"Is there anything else I can show you?" he asked.

"Let's have dinner?" Peyton said quickly.

"You want to have dinner with me?" Lucas couldn't hide his surprise very well.

"Why do you sound so shocked, hasn't a girl ever asked you to dinner before?"

"No, actually a girl has never asked me to dinner." He admitted sheepishly.

"Then I'll be your first."

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting across from each other in a booth in the small diner near the school.

"So tell me Lucas Scott's life story." Peyton asked with eyebrows raised.

"My life's not that interesting." He confessed.

"It's always the most interesting people that say that. So spill."

"Alright. It's been just my mom and I since I was born. My dad skipped town after my mom got pregnant. She owns a café over on Main Street. I work there a few times a week with my friend Haley. And when I'm not working my life consists mainly of studying and homework. I want to go to Stanford when I graduate, and my best chance is through a scholarship."

"Damn Scott. What do you do for fun?"

"Fun? I'm not really familiar with that word." Lucas laughed, mocking himself.

"Well it's a good thing I moved in next door. I've got to help you learn to lighten up a little bit." She smiled that same mysterious smile he had seen earlier that morning. He could only smile back.

They continued to talk until the waitress came by to take their order. When she left Lucas used the opportunity to slip away to the jukebox.

After flipping through the track selection a few times Lucas settled on a song and made his way back their table. He stopped in his tracks, and nearly tripped a waiter when he saw that his mystery girl was no longer alone. Nathan Scott was leaning over the table casually talking with Peyton. His all-American boy charm was working on overload. Lucas couldn't make out what Nathan was saying but he met eyes with Peyton who motioned him to come back over.

"That party sounds great Nathan but I'm actually here with someone else." Peyton pointed towards Lucas who was coming up behind Nathan.

Nathan turned to see who could possibly be more interesting than him and nearly laughed out loud when he saw Lucas standing behind him. "You're here with this kid. You are definitely not going to get far in this town hanging out with Lucas."

"Well thanks for the tip Nathan, but I think I'll take my chances with him." Peyton said while looking Lucas directly in the eyes.

"Your loss." He huffed as he walked away.

"You could have gone with him Peyton. Nathan is the most popular guy in school, he could probably help you meet a lot of people."

"Sorely lacking in the confidence department Lucas? If I wanted to leave with Nathan I would have. I'm here with you and I'm having a good time. Besides, there is nothing special about a guy like Nathan. There were a hundred guys just like him at my old school and I'm sure there's a hundred guys like him at your school. He's an ass Lucas." Lucas eased a bit at her words. "Are you related to him though?"

"What?"

"His last name is Scott. Is he a cousin of yours or something?"

Lucas didn't know how to answer the question without opening a large can of worms. But for some reason he trusted this girl completely.

"Nathan is my half brother." He watched as Peyton's eyes grew wide in surprise. "When I said my father skipped town after my mom got pregnant. I left out the part about him getting another girl pregnant three months after my mom."

"I can't believe that."

"He chose to marry Nathan's mom and I became the bastard son of Dan Scott. So Nathan gets to live in a huge house, drive a nice car and basically get everything handed to him." Lucas finished quietly, not wanting his words to come off as being bitter. He knew that he wasn't jealous of Nathan. Lucas had no interest in sharing a father with him.

"And you said your life wasn't interesting." She remarked sadly.

Lucas pulled the car slowly to the curb halfway between his house and hers and killed the ignition. The rest of the dinner had been quiet after Lucas' confession. He was angry with himself for seemingly blowing it with Peyton.

"I'm sorry about being the downer tonight, I should have kept my non-existent relationship with my father to myself."

"Just out of curiosity, why did you tell me all that stuff about your dad. It seems like something you don't share with anyone."

"It's not something I share with anyone actually. Other than my mom the only person I've ever really talked about it with is my best friend Haley. I don't know why I told you all that, I guess because I trust you which is crazy considering I barely know you."

"It's not that crazy."

A silence fell over the pair as they sat together waiting for the other to say something. Peyton toyed with the zipper on her black leather jacket as Lucas frantically searched his mind for the right thing to say. "I had a good time tonight with you Peyton. It was definitely better than studying." He smiled to himself.

"Are you free tomorrow night?" She asked, turning in her seat to face him.

"Yeah, why?"

"I was thinking we could go to a movie or something." A look of surprise danced across Lucas' face. "Why are you so surprised that I like being around you?"

"I'm just not used to it. Most girls don't give me the time of day."

Peyton grinned as she opened the car door. "Well I'm not most girls." She waved goodbye to him before closing the door and walking across the lawn to her house.


	2. Making Up Stories

**Clarity**

**Chapter 2**

Lucas still wasn't entirely sure what to think of his new neighbor. He'd never met a girl like Peyton Sawyer, someone who wasn't concerned with popularity or status and who seemed to generally like the person that he was. He was completely fascinated by her. Lucas had spent so much time with his nose buried in text books he had never really paid much attention to girls, and girls didn't pay much attention to him. It was too early to start thinking about what kind of relationship could develop out of the whole thing, but Lucas could see himself growing close to Peyton.

All those things were on his mind as he knocked on her front door. He hadn't been entirely sure that Peyton's offer to go see a movie would still stand the next day, but she called him that afternoon to make sure everything was still on. Larry Sawyer answered the door and was surprised to see Lucas standing on his front steps.

"Hi Lucas."

"He's here for me dad." Peyton called from behind her father, as she traipsed down the stairs to meet Lucas.

"You two must have had a good time last night." Larry smiled.

"We'll be back later." She kissed her father on the cheek and grabbed a black backpack from the ground near the front door. She turned towards Lucas, "Ready to go?"

He nodded and followed her down the walkway.

"I thought we were going to the movies?" he questioned from his seat next to Peyton on a bench in the middle of the mall.

"I changed my mind."

"So what exactly are we doing right now?"

"We're people-watching Lucas." She turned to look at him and saw a puzzled smile creep across his face. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"No reason, I just don't picture you as the type of girl who would sit at a mall and observe people."

"So what kind of girl do you think I am?"

"I don't know yet." He answered with a grin. His eyes trailed down to the black bag at her feet. "So what's in the bag?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

They sat together for a few more minutes. Lucas was watching Peyton more than the people milling around them. When she was ready, Peyton unzipped the backpack and pulled out a crimson red book. She held it tightly in her hands trying to work up the courage to hand the book over to Lucas.

"You shared something extremely private with me last night, now it's my turn to share something with you." She handed Lucas the book, which he opened with great care. "I realize it doesn't compare with your familial issues but I've never shown anyone what is inside this book. You're the first and only person to see these sketches."

Lucas turned the crisp white pages gingerly, amazed at the work he was seeing. He began to understand her fascination with watching people. Her book was filled with pencil drawings of a random mix of people. Each sketch was better than the rest, each face was as detailed as a photograph. Lucas was surprised to see that the last sketch in her book was of him.

"When did you do this?" He couldn't pull his eyes away from the drawing. It was like he was staring into a mirror. She had even remembered the small scar near his eyebrow, the result of some boyhood antics.

"I've been trying to sketch from memory, that's why I was staring at you like that during dinner. I was trying to memorize the lines of your face. Plus I think you're cute." She smiled as Lucas' cheeks turned as red as her book.

"These are incredible Peyton, I've never seen anyone with so much talent. But why do you keep these a secret from everyone?"

She gently shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know why. It's just the way I want it."

Their attention was soon turned to an older man who had come to sit at a bench across from them. Peyton took her book from Lucas' hands and opened it to a blank page and after grabbing a pencil she began to sketch. Her lines were scribbled furiously onto the paper as he watched her, completely fascinated by what she was doing. As she worked everything else faded away, her tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth. Lucas was amazed at how quickly she worked; her sketch was finished in a few minutes and she closed the sketchbook before he had a chance to look at what she had done.

"Let's get something to eat." She said standing from her spot on the bench and stretching her legs.

While they sat together in the food court, minutes later, sharing a basket of fries Peyton pulled her sketchbook out again. "There was something else to the sketchbook I didn't show you, and you have to swear that you aren't going to laugh at me."

"I promise I won't laugh."

"Everyone who gets drawn in the book also gets a story." Lucas gave her a puzzled look. "That older man I sketched earlier, I had his whole story worked out in my mind as I drew him."

"Tell it to me." He leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands.

"His name is John, he's a widower. He taught high school science in the city for twenty-five years and moved to this small town after he retired. Since his wife died he spends most of his time alone, so he comes to the mall on the weekends to be around people and for a few hours he doesn't feel so alone."

"That's a pretty sad story."

"Not every story has to be happy one."

Lucas reached over and took the book from her hands. He flipped back to the page with his drawing and handed it back to Peyton. "What's his story?"

"His name is Lucas. He's a bit of an overachiever trying to prove something to no one in particular. He doesn't have many friends, only because people don't take the time to realize what a great guy he is. And he secretly feels like life has dealt him a really crappy hand but he doesn't dare complain because he doesn't want to hurt his mom."

"I'm a bit of an overachiever?" he asked with eyebrows raised.

"But I mean that in the nicest sense of the word." Peyton smiled.

"You seem to know all this stuff about me and I really don't all that much about you. So when do I get to hear your story?"

"Sorry only people in the book get their stories told."

"Well I can solve that problem." He snatched the book quickly from the table and started to draw with it pulled close to his face so she couldn't see what he was doing. He smiled mischievously as she watched him with curious smirk. When he was finished he handed the book back to her.

"What is this?" she laughed at the stick figure he had drawn complete with a head full of curls.

"That's a picture of you and it's in the book, so now I get to here the story."

"I've been tricked. But those are the rules, and I suppose I have to follow them." Lucas noticed that there was a bit of sadness behind her smile, as she thought about her past. "I lived in this small town in South Carolina for most of my life but my dad's job brought us here. It's been just the two of us since my mom died. I was nine and she was on her way to pick me up from school when she ran a red light and got hit. So I grew up without my mom and you grew up without a father, I bet you didn't think we had so much in common."

It had been during that moment of honesty from Peyton that Lucas had seen a different side of her. In the short time he had known her, Peyton seemed like she always had a smile on her face. He hadn't realized that her smiles were a way for her to hide her pain in the same way that he hid his pain in his schoolwork.

Peyton had been right, they did have a lot more in common than he had thought.


	3. Haley's Hesitance

**Clarity**

**Chapter 3**

_I had a different ending planned for this chapter, but after typing it all out it just didn't feel right. So this is the version I'm sticking with. I am so thankful for all the positive feedback I've been getting for this story, thank you to all who have reviewed._

For the past three days Haley James had listened to her best friend ramble on about a girl named Peyton. Haley had known Lucas for years but it didn't take a best friend to realize that he was completely smitten with his new neighbor. She wanted to be happy and supportive of him, but she couldn't help the twinge of jealousy in her gut every time he brought up her name. They had never been anything more than friends, their relationship had always resembled that of a brother/sister sort of bond, but Haley treasured their exclusive friendship. It had always been just the two of them against the world, so Haley wasn't sure how to feel about some new girl treading on her turf.

"So when do I get to meet this Peyton girl you've been rambling on about." Haley asked. They had decided to spend their Sunday afternoon on her couch watching a marathon of lowbrow comedies. She had, politely, extended an invite through Lucas to Peyton but with boxes left to unpack before her first day at Tree Hill High Peyton had, politely, turned down the offer.

"You'll get to meet her tomorrow, she's walking to school with us." He could feel a disapproving glare coming from Haley's side of the couch. "What's wrong?"

"I don't even know this girl and you're inviting her to walk to school with us every morning now?"

"Haley, it's her first day at a new school. She's just walking with us for one day, she's got a car. I told her we'd show her around campus. I mean come on Hales, she just moved here and she doesn't have any friends."

"You mean she doesn't have any friends besides you."

"Yes Haley she's my friend. Why are you acting like this? Are you jealous?"

Haley felt her cheeks flush red with embarrassment. He'd seen right through her insecurities. "Maybe I am little jealous."

"Why?"

"I don't know why Lucas. I can't help but think I'm going to get pushed to the side here, I mean you're already opening up to this girl about things you've only otherwise told me and you've only known her for three days."

"Haley how long have we known each other?"

"Since we were six years old. I punched that boy on the playground who was making fun of your glasses."

Lucas rolled his eyes at the memory. She loved to bring that up. Since that day on the playground Haley had always been overprotective of him, he knew it was only because she cared about him.

"So we've been friends for eleven years, and nothing is going to come between us. You're my best friend. But I like this girl Haley I really like her. And I don't know, but she seems to like me back."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt Lucas."

"I know you don't, but I'm willing totake that chance."

It was then that Haley had first noticed the subtle changes that were occurring in her friend. Lucas had always been a little reserved in life, he didn't like to stand out or take chances. But she knew he was taking a big chance with Peyton, and she could tell that the girl's influence was changing him and Haley hoped it would be for the better.

* * *

"So you think Haley will like me?" Peyton asked Lucas the next morning on their walk towards school.

"There is one important thing you need to know about Haley, she is very protective of me has been since we were kids. If she's a little hesitant of you it's just because she doesn't want me to get hurt. But she'll come around, Haley's a great person."

"Why would Haley think I'd hurt you?"

"I don't know." He lied. He couldn't very well admit how much he liked her, which was the reason for Haley's concern. He wasn't ready to take that step until he knew that his feelings were the same as hers.

"Oh hey wait a minute." Peyton said grabbing his shoulder in an attempt to stop Lucas, while she rummaged through her book bag. "I have something for you." She pulled a folded piece of paper from her bag and handed it over to him.

"What is this?" he asked taking the paper from her.

"Just open it."

Lucas looked at her skeptically before unfolding the paper. It was the stick figure drawing of her he had drawn that day at the mall. She had added an equally bad stick figure drawing of him standing next to her, their respective houses scribbled in the background.

"That is the first piece of art I have ever given away, so you better put that in a really nice frame or something."

"Thanks Peyton, I love it. I'll find a spot for it on my wall as soon as I get home." He said half-joking.

"I even signed it for you." She pointed to the corner of the paper where she had scrawled her initials. "You'll see how much that piece of paper is worth in a few years." She pulled him by the arm down the street. Peyton didn't want to be late meeting Haley, it was a first impression that would not be good.

They met up with Haley several minutes later. "Haley this is Peyton." He introduced his blonde companion.

Lucas held his breath as he watched Haley size up Peyton, for some reason he was reminded of those nature shows where the predator stalked it's prey until the right moment when it would attack. All he wanted was for everything to go smoothly. He was relieved to see Haley back down and give Peyton a slight smile.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lucas has told me a lot about you." Peyton said breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Probably not as much he's told me about you." Haley smirked. "He hasn't stopped talking about you since you moved in next door."

"Really?" Peyton looked over at Lucas who was avoiding her gaze by staring at his shoes.

"We should get going, Peyton still has to pick up her class schedule before school." Lucas walked away quickly, his hands jammed into the front pockets of his coat. The girls followed silently behind him. Peyton couldn't seem to wipe the grin from her face.

It didn't take the two girls long to warm up to each other. Haley found Peyton to be incredibly easy to talk to. They chatted quietly as Lucas continued his brisk pace a few feet ahead of them. He wasn't sure what the quiet meant behind him, but it made him a little nervous. And when he heard Haley's boisterous laugh cut through the quiet chatter Lucas knew he didn't have to worry about those two getting along, he only hoped they weren't laughing at him.


	4. Scattered Concentration

**Clarity **

_A/N: Just a short chapter to move things along_.

**Chapter 4**

Studying.

It used to be the only thing Lucas ever did. But he hadn't had much free time since Peyton had so suddenly come into his life. It had been two weeks since she had moved in next door and it had been that long since Lucas had cracked open one of his text books. While he still cared about school, it seemed to be slipping down a few notches on the importance level.

But he had dusted off his books to prepare for his upcoming midterms. Lucas knew the material, but studying was his reassurance. Peyton had called him earlier that night to see if he wanted to catch a movie and Lucas had reluctantly asked for a rain check. Two hours into his science lecture notes his eyes felt strained and the beginnings of a headache throbbed in his temples. After awhile all the words and figures had begun to look hazy.

He didn't realize he had dozed off until a light knock on his bedroom door stirred him awake.

"Come in." he rubbed a hand over his messy hair. He had expected his mom to walk through his door with an arm full of laundry, but was surprised to find Peyton leaning in his doorframe. "Hey."

"I know you said you were studying but I'm really bored next door. My dad had to drive back to South Carolina for the week, get some things for his business cleared up. So I'm home alone and that big empty house is a little overwhelming."

"I'd love to get out of the house and do something Peyton, but I have this science midterm coming up that I have to be ready for." He didn't want to kick her out, but he had all this work. "I won't be much fun but you can stay in here while I study."

"Thanks Lucas. The only thing I need to keep me company is some music."

"I keep the cd's over on my bookshelf." After pointing her in the right direction he turned his attention back to the book in front of him. She crossed the room and looked over his collection, impressed by his taste in music.

"You have quite the selection here. Travis, Dashboard Confessional, Snow Patrol, The Get Up Kids, this is good stuff Lucas."

"I like all the lesser known stuff, the stuff not everyone knows about."

It was then that she noticed the small personal touches along the shelves of his bookcase. They were the things that were out on display but no one was ever really supposed to see. There were framed pictures of him and his mother scattered about, she smiled as her eyes trailed over a picture of him dressed as a clown for what she assumed was Halloween. He must have been four years old at the time. There was an assortment of basketball trophies tucked in between books, she could tell by the dates that he had stopped playing when he was around thirteen.

His collection of books impressed her even more than the cd's. He must have had close to fifty paperback books stacked in every available crevice of the bookshelf. The spine of almost every book was worn with a thick crease down the center. It was obvious that the books had been put to good use. She pulled a tattered copy of _Slaughterhouse-Five _from the shelf and moved towards his bed where she sprawled out on top of his blue plaid comforter, propped up on her elbows with his discman turned on.

The sight of a beautiful girl making herself comfortable on his bed was enough to distract him from his textbook. He watched her become completely absorbed in the music, her head nodding with the steady beat of the bass. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to know what song she was listening to.

She could feel his eyes on her. It wasn't that he made her feel self-conscious, he just looked at her in a way that no one else ever had.

She turned her head slightly and looked over her shoulder to meet his gaze. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights when he found out he had been caught by her, but as she stared at him with amusement something in his eyes changed. There was a burst of confidence that suddenly lit up his eyes. She pulled the earphones off and waited for him to say something.

"I was just trying to memorize the lines of your face." He bluffed, giving her the same explanation she had given him during their trip to the mall.

Peyton stared at him with a wide smile before tossing her head back and laughing loudly before putting the headphones back on. She had an infectious laugh.

He tried to concentrate on his book for the fifth time but he wasn't going to get anything out of reading now. He went back to watching Peyton, only this time he tried to avoid getting caught by looking out of the corner of his eye. While he should have been paying attention to his work all he really wanted to do was kiss her.


	5. Playing Hooky

**Clarity**

**Chapter 5**

Lucas had aced the science midterm he had been studying for the night of Peyton's visit. He couldn't help the pleased smile that crept across his face as his teacher passed back the exam, a large red A circled on top of his paper. Though he didn't want to admit it, Lucas had been struggling with the idea that spending so much time with Peyton could be having an unwanted effect on his work but his exam grade had helped erase any doubts that he couldn't handle it all.

He was only half-listening to his teacher drone on about the rest of the classes test results when he heard someone walk through the classroom door. He didn't know why he was surprised to see Peyton Sawyer speaking quietly to his teacher, he had begun to learn that she was full of surprises. His curiosity was piqued as he watched Peyton glance his way and smile slyly at him.

"Lucas could you come up here please, and bring your belonging's with you." His teacher motioned him to the front of the class with a wave of his hand. Lucas packed his backpack and walked silently to the front of the class.

"Peyton was sent by Mr. Siler to come and get you, he apparently needs your assistance with something. I normally would not let you leave my class during the hour but since we'll be reviewing the test that you scored so well on I'll make an exception."

"Thank you Mr. Graham." Lucas followed Peyton out the classroom, still not able to make sense of what was happening.

Outside the class Lucas stopped Peyton. "Hey what's going on? I'm not even in Mr. Siler's class."

"I know that, I just had to figure out a way to get you out of class."

"Well why did you get me out of class."

"Just follow me." She continued walking down the hall, her pace was brisk and Lucas struggled to keep up with her. Before he could comprehend what was happening Peyton walked out of the building and towards the school parking lot.

"Peyton what are you doing, if we get caught in the parking lot without a pass we'll get in trouble."

The panic in Lucas' voice caused Peyton to burst into a fit of laughter. "Will you relax Lucas? We won't get caught if you would just walk a little faster, my car is parked right over here."

"What are we doing, are we ditching?" he jogged a short way to catch up to her.

"Lucas listen to me, if you don't want to do this you don't have to. You can go back to class and everything will be fine. I just figured I'd try to help you lighten up a bit, maybe see what would happen if Lucas Scott broke the rules."

Lucas knew that there were a thousand reasons for him to turn around and go back to his class pretending nothing had happened. It wasn't like him to even consider breaking the rules, he had always been so fearful of the repercussions that would come with his choice. But at that moment he wasn't thinking of the consequences but only the fact that he wanted to go with her.

"Let's go."

They drove from the school parking lot without a second glance and headed straight for nowhere in particular. With the convertible top down on her classic black car, the cool October air whipped wildly at their bare faces as they drove past the edge of town. The wind was loud enough to cover the music blaring from the speakers and made conversation nearly impossible. Lucas was entirely content with the feel of the wind through the fingertips of his outstretched arm. He had never felt so free.

Lucas had given up asking where they were headed; he never seemed to get more than a smile from her as an answer. A few minutes after crossing into the next town over Peyton pulled into the parking lot of a city park. She reached back and pulled a frayed blue blanket from the floor of the back seat.

Lucas smiled. "Do you normally keep blankets in the backseat of your car?"

"Ok so maybe I have this little thing planned."

"Well you didn't happen to bring anything to eat, I didn't get a chance to eat before you kidnapped me."

"Look behind your seat." Lucas reached his arm behind his leather seat and felt around until he made contact with a paper bag. In it he discovered the gourmet cuisine Peyton had prepared for them.

"Peanut butter sandwiches and juice boxes, Peyton where did you find the time to make all of this?" Peyton narrowed her eyes at his mocking and snatched the bag from his hands.

"That's fine if you don't want any of this, it's just more for me." She climbed out of the car and started to walk towards the park. Lucas followed after her with the tattered blue blanket in his hands.

The park was predictably empty considering that it was the afternoon during middle of a week. Lucas could see a few young kids with their mothers on the playground in the distance, and there was an older man tossing a dirty old tennis ball to his dog quite a few yards away. They were relatively alone in the spot where Lucas threw down the blanket. They ate their small lunch in comfortable silence, talking casually between bites of peanut butter sandwiches.

When he finished Lucas lay back on the blanket, hands tucked behind his head and stared at the snow-white swirls of clouds above him. Peyton copied his position as she lay next to him.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Nothing really. I just never really took the time to sit and do nothing like this. I don't even remember when school became the most important thing in my life."

"Was it after you quit playing basketball?"

"How did you know I played?" he questioned without turning to look her way.

"I saw the trophies in your room the other day, I noticed that they all seemed to stop after eighth grade. So why did you stop playing?"

"I got sick of all the other kids making fun of me because of Dan and Nathan, I don't know why I put up with it for as long as I did. So I quit playing to get away from all of it."

"Do you still play?"

"Sometimes late at night when I can't sleep I play down at a court near our neighborhood, but other than that I don't really pick up the ball anymore."

"Next time you sneak out to play make sure you tap on my bedroom window so I can tag along. I used to play basketball in middle school and that way you won't have to play alone." She turned to face him and met his eyes, he had been watching her again and this time he wasn't trying to hide it.

Lucas rolled onto his side and let his face hover dangerously close to hers. He was pleased to see that Peyton looked surprised at his boldness. He reached his hand out to touch her face, hoping that she wouldn't notice the slight tremble, which she did. Fingertips lightly brushed the outlines of her lips and her eyes were closed tight before his lips touched hers. He gained a bit of confidence when he felt her hands snake up the back of his neck and into his mess of dirty blonde hair.

When their kiss broke it was Peyton who was grinning wildly as Lucas lay back down on the blanket with his hands once again tucked behind his head, the taste of her cherry lip balm still lingering on his lips.


	6. Basketball & Banter

**Clarity**

**Chapter 6**

It had been over a day since Lucas had worked up the courage to kiss Peyton at that park. Neither of them had talked about what had happened, on the drive back to Tree Hill. It wasn't as if Lucas wanted to forget what had happened, but what was happening between him and Peyton was something he didn't have a lot of experience with. He'd never really dated anyone before, he didn't know what a kiss meant or if it would mean anything at all.

Having all of his insecurities rolling over in his mind did nothing to help him sleep. A glance at the clock on his nightstand revealed it was nearly midnight and he was nowhere near rest. He'd tried everything, counting sheep, listening to soft music, even an unsuccessful attempt at drinking a glass of warm milk still left him tossing and turning. He shrugged off the sheets and searched his dark bedroom for a pair of basketball shorts and tennis shoes. The cool night air hit him as he snuck quietly out of his back door and crossed the damp grass towards the window he knew was Peyton's.

A light knock on her window was enough to wake her. Lucas saw a light switch on in her room and waited patiently for her to come to the window, she did a few seconds later hands rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She smiled when she saw Lucas standing outside waving sheepishly back at her.

"What are you doing out here so late." She asked leaning her head out of the window.

"Thought I might take you up on that offer to play basketball." He produced a worn ball from behind his back.

Peyton smiled. "Let me throw some different clothes on." She disappeared back behind the white curtains and appeared minutes later wearing a pair of white cotton pants and a t-shirt. Lucas helped her climb out of the window and they took off towards the park.

"Couldn't sleep tonight?" she asked as they walked through the dark, quiet neighborhood, the ball still tucked under Lucas' arms to avoid waking anyone with its bouncing.

"Nope, I was just feeling a little restless so I figured I'd head down to the park."

"Was something on your mind?" Peyton hinted at.

"Just couldn't sleep is all." Lucas bluffed.

When they made it to the courts, Peyton hung back as Lucas began to shoot around. Peyton found herself mesmerized by the sight of him becoming lost in his passion. The way he moved with the ball, his tongue jutting out of the side of his mouth, eyes focused on the basket with a steely gaze, she found that she was unable to look away.

She was snapped from her focus when Lucas tossed the ball her way. "Show me your stuff Sawyer."

Peyton gripped the ball awkwardly in her hands before sending it flying towards the hoop, it dropped back down to the ground with a hard bounce before it even touched the rim. Air ball.

Lucas avoided a smile while he chased down the ball. "You're probably just a little rusty, how long has it been since you played?"

"Counting that time in fifth grade phys ed, I've only played basketball once. And I was so bad they let Kerry Walker, who had a cast on her right arm, play in my spot."

"I thought you said you played on a team before."

"Alright I'll admit it, I lied so I could score an invite." A sheepish smile crossed her face. "I don't know how to play basketball, I just wanted to be able to tag along."

Lucas almost didn't know what to say in response to her admission, but instead of reading too much into anything he walked towards her.

"I'll show you how to play."

"Yeah?"

"It's not that hard once you get the hang of it, you just need to know the basics." He bounced the ball a few times before spinning it in his hands and lining his fingers up on the grooves. "All you have to do is aim for that orange triangle above the rim, bend your knees a little bit and throw the ball." He tossed the ball with a gentle push and let it spin off the tips of his fingers where it arced lazily into the air and through the rim.

"Alright my turn." She caught the ball and followed his lead, lining up her fingers on the black grooves of the ball. He came to stand next to her and bent her elbows with a soft touch. Her shot hit the front of the rim and bounced back to them.

"That was close." He smiled. "Try again, you'll get the hang of it. I promise."

Lucas watched patiently from the side trying not to coach her too much, as Peyton took shot after shot. He couldn't help but smile with her when she sunk her first basket, he'd never seen anyone so excited over scoring such a mundane point. When she tired of shooting she walked over to where he was standing and handed him the ball.

"Can I ask you something?" she questioned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Of course."

"Am I a bad kisser or something?"

Lucas was a little taken aback at her question. "Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know if you remember but we kissed at the park the other day."

"I remember."

"Oh good, well I thought it was a pretty god kiss and I was just wondering why you haven't kissed me since then." Lucas was secretly envious of the confidence she had when it came to handling an awkward situation. She had no problem talking about their kiss and he would have rather talked about anything else.

"You want me to kiss you again?" he asked. Peyton smirked at the sound of surprise in his voice.

"I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't want it." She smiled boldly at him.

"I wanted to kiss you again, I just wasn't sure if it was what you wanted. I don't have a lot of experience with this kind of stuff and I took a chance by just kissing you like that."

"I'm glad you kissed me like that, a girl needs to be surprised a little every now and then. And I know it took some courage to kiss first, but now that we have that first one out of the way could we possibly try to do it a little more often."

"I've never met a girl like you Peyton."

He was smiling broadly as he leaned down to kiss her, his strong arms wrapping around her waist and lifting her gently to her toes. Just as he was becoming lost in the touch of her soft lips on his, Peyton pulled slowly away and looked into his eyes.

"For the record, you can kiss me whenever you want."


End file.
